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Reuters reported that the strikes targeted Houthi positions in the Dhubab district a day after the launch of the new offensive. The pro-government Giants Brigades announced that its first contingents had arrived in the Bab el-Mandeb area to join the operation. Two military sources confirmed the assault to the news agency while describing it as part of broader efforts to secure strategic heights in the region.
Colonel Majed Al-Nazili spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces announced the Battle for Liberation on the preceding day according to a Jordan News dispatch. The campaign has already involved 1122 operations against Houthi positions across Saada Al Jawf Taiz and the western coast Al-Nazili stated. The spokesman emphasised that the objective was to restore state institutions end the insurgency and reduce civilian suffering without providing further operational details.
Government forces backed by local fighters had already thwarted Houthi infiltration attempts in nearby sectors of Lahj province in the weeks prior an Asharq Al-Awsat report from September detailed. Those earlier clashes included the reported killing of a senior Houthi commander and six escorts during strikes on concentrations near Kahboub mountain. The Southern Giants Brigades also claimed destruction of five Houthi vehicles in the same period including one carrying an anti-aircraft weapon.
An Anadolu Agency dispatch on the latest advance said forces from the Nation’s Shield and Southern Giants Brigades seized control of Dhubab with air support cutting supply lines toward Bab el-Mandeb. The source indicated an unspecified number of Houthi fighters were killed or injured with several vehicles destroyed though no independent verification was immediately available. The Presidential Leadership Council had ordered the start of the liberation battle to reclaim territory from the Iran-aligned group.
The Bab el-Mandeb area has seen intensified fighting between Taiz and Lahj provinces throughout recent months according to multiple field reports compiled by Asharq Al-Awsat. Government troops recaptured positions on Jabal al-Shuhada overlooking Wadi al-Ghail in Al-Wazi’iyah during one sequence of engagements last month. Aircraft also struck Houthi sites around Jawlat al-Qasr east of Taiz city in parallel actions.
The Giants Brigades characterised the current operation in Bab el-Mandeb as decisive in a statement relayed by Anadolu Agency. No immediate response emerged from Houthi representatives on the claims of territorial gains or casualties inflicted. The developments mark a continuation of efforts by Saudi-backed government units to reverse earlier Houthi advances along Yemen’s western coast.
